Fiat 2.3 180hp what do you think

[Basildog]

we have a new van with the Fiat 2.3 180 hp on a manual and just wondering what other owners think about it as I am not impressed compared to the older 3.0 litre 160 hp Fiat we had in the past .

 

[two]

I think the newer models lack 'grunt', where 'grunt' is a combination of torque as well power.
You may only get max power out on (fewer) occasions.

 

[BillandHelen]

Hi, we have the 2.3 180 with comfortmatic on a pvc with a 4200kg chassis, previously had the 160 on a pvc with a 4000kg chassis, both are run at 3800/3900kg normally.

On the upside I find the new engine to be quieter and smoother than the old, especially after it’s oil change, it’s now 1 year old and c8000miles. It cruises effortlessly at 80mph on autobahns etc and is a bit more economical giving ave of 26mpg ish which I think not bad given we are usually “pressing on”.

On the downside, feels like there is less grunt, despite what the stats say! Is using oil, haven’t counted how much but have topped up twice plus the service against zero in the old, I’m told it’s normal with the new engine though?
Also preferred the idea of a chain rather than a belt but will just watch servicing.

In summary, some ups and downs, but satisfied with its performance.

Regards
Bill

 

[Howard H]

Give it at least 5000-6000 mile to loosen up ,I thought I hade made a mistake when I dropped from the 3lt to the 150 hp 2.3 lt but 10000 miles later it pulls like train ​

 

[Basildog]

Give it at least 5000-6000 mile to loosen up ,I thought I hade made a mistake when I dropped from the 3lt to the 150 hp 2.3 lt but 10000 miles later it pulls like train ​

Yes I am maybe being a bit hasty but am beginning to dislike this new van more every day which I don't want to as it'll mean another !

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[MillieMoocher]

My only experience of Fiat is with the EU6 180 engine and comfortmatic box. For the first 1,000 or so miles it did seem gutless and seemed to struggle to maintain speed on motorway hills unless you forced a change down to 5th.

As the miles have gone on, it’s loosened up more and seems pretty good to me, certainly as powerful as our previous Merc 163 bhp.

Economy wise on a recent 882 mile round trip with mix of motorways and A/B and unclassified roads the read out was showing 25.7 mpg .

So I can’t comment on Fiat 160 vs Fiat 180 but do agree they seem to loosen up with mileage - we now have 4,250 - and I expect further improvements until 10,000 ish.

Maybe if you’re seems really underpowered it might be worth checking with the dealer that all is well with the engine.

 

[Charlie123]

we have a new van with the Fiat 2.3 180 hp on a manual and just wondering what other owners think about it as I am not impressed compared to the older 3.0 litre 160 hp Fiat we had in the past .

There ain’t no substitute for cubes........

 

[jongood]

Out of interest - how do you tell if you have the correct engine? You used to be able to see whether it had a belt or a chain but the 150 and 180 are ostensibly identical AFAIK.

 

[jongood]

There ain’t no substitute for cubes........

I agree I would take some convincing to reduce size or go to a belt.

 

[Basildog]

There ain’t no substitute for cubes........

We have all been conned as these diesel fart boxes we have all had to put up with actually aren't as economical as you may think after all the so called development of more efficient engines.
My choice would be a nice big v8 or v6 and actually the 3.0 litre petrol Mercedes we had was actually more economical than the shed Fiat Doblo we have with a 1.4 petrol.

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[Charlie123]

The problem when they try to squeeze higher BHP from relatively small 4 cylinder engines is the burn at lower revs is seldom clean. This can mean soot that can clog EGR valves and DPF regent problems.

Make sure theses engines get fed quality high cetane fuels IE not from where you get yer eggs and cornflakes...

 

[martin2603]

When I took delivery of my new 180 I was not impressed at all. Having had a 160 that had been remapped to 197 a light touch of the accelerator was al that was required. However these euro 6 engines need to be driven harder to keep in the tourque band . After 6k it had improved somewhat but at 5ton it is short of the performance of its predessor. Consumption is 24 mpg. I could squeeze 26 out of the 3 litre .
However contrary to others it does not use any oil!

 

[Basildog]

When I took delivery of my new 180 I was not impressed at all. Having had a 160 that had been remapped to 197 a light touch of the accelerator was al that was required. However these euro 6 engines need to be driven harder to keep in the tourque band . After 6k it had improved somewhat but at 5ton it is short of the performance of its predessor. Consumption is 24 mpg. I could squeeze 26 out of the 3 litre .
However contrary to others it does not use any oil!

So pretty crap then ?
And in no way less polluting as many now seem to be saying that Euro 6 engines are mostly a complete joke .

 

[Cheshirecat57]

Not sure if all Euro 6 engines are poor to be fair

Its a pretty tough standard that the manufacturers have been set by the legislators, and every application is of course different

 

[Emmit]

Having had various diesels over the years, both in our cars as well as this, our first 'van, I would love to see the performance of the 'van if it were fitted with the VW engine we have in our Passat.
Whilst I appreciate it would have to work harder, the 170BHP it produces out of the 2.0 Lts is impressive, pulling like a train and returning ridiculous economy.

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[Lenny HB]

Can't comment on the 180 but my Euro 6 150 was very sluggish at first compared to the previous, Euro 5+ 150.
Thought I'd made a big mistake and should have gone for the 180 with the heavier van.

Anyway after 5000 miles started running a lot better and changing gear sooner when climbing hills. Now it's done 8000 and running even better, fuel consumption has gone down from 21/22 to 24 mpg. So hopefully will be running even better when it's run in at 15000.

 

[MillieMoocher]

Not sure if all Euro 6 engines are poor to be fair

Its a pretty tough standard that the manufacturers have been set by the legislators, and every application is of course different

Agree with this completely. Some are much better than others.

My car (JLR product) has a 300 bhp Euro 6 V6 Diesel which also has 700 NM of torque and gives me 44 mpg on a run. It’s an epic engine, and shows what can be done.

IMHO Fiat have not done that well reacting to the changing legislation overall, not just the diesels.

We bought a Fiat 500 in 2009 with the 1.2 petrol engine, fabulous car with plenty of poke. In 2014 we changed it for a new one, same spec, but the engine was gutless and to a point dangerously slow in pulling away from a standing start on a hill (lots in the press and internet on this). Eventually Fiat issued an ECU update but it was never as powerful as the earlier version...

 

[two]

In my mind, achieving pollution requirements is bound to be at the cost of performance, yet manufacturers seem to be pulling rabbits out of their hats to provide even better economy. I wonder what could be achieved with a 'dirty' engine.

 

[SpeedyDux]

In my mind, achieving pollution requirements is bound to be at the cost of performance, yet manufacturers seem to be pulling rabbits out of their hats to provide even better economy. I wonder what could be achieved with a 'dirty' engine.

If the 3 litre had still been an option with Euro 6 Ducatos I would have spared no expense and ordered it for my tiddly PVC.

The upstream tighter control over fuelling for economy seems to be more than offset by the engine having to force the exhaust gases through so many add-ons. As well as the turbo, the EGR system, the cat and the DPF before finally exiting via the silencer. The poor little 2.3 must be half strangled. It's a miracle Fiat can get 180 bhp out of it. It used to be said by motoring journalists that Italian horses seemed to be smaller.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Went from the 3.0 litre lump to the 2.3 and the difference was staggering. However, it did improve over time and by the time the van went it was pretty lively. Took @Charlie ‘s advice though and now a 3.0 merc V6 which is wonderful. Uses quite a bit of adblue though

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